


Writer's Block

by 13symphony13



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2020-04-07 05:30:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19078444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/13symphony13/pseuds/13symphony13
Summary: Yuuri is a creative writing major who breaks his computer while struggling with writer's block and failing to write a short story and Phichit suggests a friend of a friend to fix it for him. Victor is a computer science & engineering major who fixes computers and writes poetry in his free time





	1. Chapter 1

Yuuri stared at the computer screen, hands poised above the keyboard, ready to enter his thoughts onto the screen. The problem was, he was out of ideas. Already. He was supposed to be writing a short story for a creative writing class he was taking, but he hadn’t even been able to fill up a full page.  _ What was I even writing about again? _ Yuuri had been staring at the screen so long that his tentative storyline that he’d worked out when brainstorming, had been lost in the recesses of his mind.  _ What possessed me to pursue a creative writing major of all things? _

 

Yuuri thought back to when he first started writing, back when he was 13. There was a girl in his neighborhood who loved reading books and poetry just as much as he did. She was two years older than him, but he’d had a mild crush on her for a couple years and wanted to try to get a little closer to her. He knew that Yuuko liked writing as much as she liked reading, so he started writing too. He was able to get to know her when he joined the creative writing club in high school, and they got along really well. Yuuri was composing a confession poem for her, but then Yuuko started dating a guy in one of her classes, and Yuuri realized he had always been friendzoned. He kept writing though, having long discovered his love for it, and eventually came across a collection of poems written by a lesser-known author, V. K. Nikiforov. That book was what inspired him to keep writing and to pursue it as a career.

 

Yuuri tried to re-focus on his story, referencing his brainstorming document for a new starting place, and started again. Well, tried to. After a few more minutes, and less than half a page later, Yuuri growled in frustration and started pacing his room. When he realized that he was too agitated to actually write something with the proper tone, he decided that he was done for the moment. He saved what little he had written and slammed his laptop closed a little harder than he intended. He winced when he heard a cracking sound and opened the computer to check the screen.

 

“Great,” Yuuri mumbled to himself. His screen now had a crack in it. On a normal laptop, this would still suck, but not be that big of a problem. The thing was that Yuuri had decided to get a touch-screen computer this time, only because that laptop was the only model of the size he preferred with a disc drive. He groaned in frustration, then buried his face in his hands.  _ If I didn’t care so much about the stupid disc drive, I wouldn’t be in this mess…  _ He thought. The disc drive had broken a couple months ago, the outer casing not hard enough to protect it, allowing outside pressure to cause the internal mechanism to crack.

 

As far as the assignment goes though, Yuuri didn’t have much hope of completing it before its deadline next week. Because of his computer’s touch-screen capability, he wouldn’t be able to do anything on the computer until the screen was fixed, as the pressure points from the crack made everything go haywire. He pushed away from the desk, swearing in Japanese while putting his computer and its charger into the laptop’s carrying case. Then, he flopped face-down onto his bed.

 

“Everything okay in there, Yuuri?” Phichit knocked on the door, then pushed it open. “You seem… agitated.”

 

Yuuri muttered unintelligibly from where his face was still pressed into the pillow, causing Phichit to laugh. Yuuri finally looked up when he heard the unmistakable sound of a shutter click.

 

“No pictures, Phichit.”

 

“But Yuuri, you came in here an hour and a half ago to write a story, and you said it should be easy. Imagine my surprise when I suddenly hear you swearing up a storm and stomping around.” Phichit laughed. “That doesn’t sound like it’s going well…”

 

Yuuri groaned, mind back on the assignment. “Can I borrow your computer?” Yuuri asked. He couldn’t use his computer to complete the assignment, but he had saved his work on the Cloud, so he should be able to access the file from anywhere.

 

Phichit tilted his head to the side, expression confused. “I lent it to Guang Hong and Leo for the next week.” He raised an eyebrow, “What’s wrong with yours?”

 

“...I kinda, sort-of accidentally broke it. I was hoping I could borrow yours, but I guess I really should just get mine fixed.” 

 

Phichit stared at Yuuri for a moment, then burst out laughing. “O…m…g, seriously? You… actually broke… your computer…” He wheezed, gripping at his sides, almost doubling over from the strength of his laughter.

 

Yuuri frowned and rolled onto his side, glaring at Phichit. He didn’t see what was so funny about this situation. He’d basically just sabotaged himself and his grades for the semester by breaking his computer.

 

Phichit eventually noticed Yuuri’s lack of humor for the situation, and managed to sober up, then he sat on the edge of Yuuri’s bed. “So, do tell. What happened?”

 

Yuuri sighed. “Honestly, I have no idea. One minute I sit down with a story, having fully brainstormed the plot and everything, and I can’t type more than three-fourth’s of a page.”

 

“Well, how long does it need to be?”

 

“… It’s supposed to be between 8 and 10 pages.”

 

“Single or double-spaced?”

 

“Double”

 

“That’s not so bad then. What’s it supposed to be about?”

 

“Why does it matter, Phichit? Why the sudden interest?” Yuuri snapped.

 

Phichit looked a little hurt by Yuuri’s outburst, and Yuuri did his best to backpedal.

 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m just  _ really  _ stressed right now. I don’t really want to think about the story that I won’t be finishing anytime soon… I’m sorry I snapped at you.”

 

Mollified, Phichit’s face returned to it’s normal, cheery expression. “Alright then, so what happened to the computer? You didn’t chuck it across the room, did you?”

 

Yuuri smiled. “Really, Phichit? Really?”

 

“Well, you do throw pillows when you’re upset, for all I know, you could have thrown a pillow at the computer. Or the computer at the pillows, or--”

 

Yuuri started laughing, cutting Phichit off, and causing him to smile and take a selfie of the two of them. He typed something into his phone, then shut it off again.

 

“Seriously, though. What happened?”

 

“I closed the lid too hard and now the screen is cracked in a couple places.”

 

“That doesn’t sound too bad, it should still work, right?”

 

Yuuri facepalmed. “I got a touch-screen computer. It doesn’t handle cracks well… My sister stepped on it once, and the screen cracked, and it was like there were tens of little fingers poking at different parts of the screen at the same time. It basically went haywire until I got the screen replaced.”

 

“Really?” Phichit asked, “That’s definitely worse than I originally thought it was. Are you going to be able to get it fixed? When is your story due?”

 

“I’ll have to figure out where to get the money to fix it, or I’m going to be doing the rest of my homework from some kind of computer/WiFi cafe or your computer, when you have it, if you’ll let me borrow it. I don’t know where I’d take it though. It’s a couple years old, and my warranty expired last month.”

 

“You know, I don’t really believe in bad luck, but you keep making convincing cases. This one included.”

 

Yuuri chuckled. “I keep telling you that I have the worst luck. It’s your fault that you don’t believe me.”

 

“Well, it just so happens that I know a guy who knows a guy who fixes computers for cheap. Sometimes even free. Well, free, plus the cost of the part for the computer.”

 

Yuuri’s eyes narrowed. “Why so cheap?”

 

“Well, he’s actually another student here. A computer science major. He’s trying to get more experience under his belt, and our mutual friend has been asking if I know anyone who needs their computer fixed.”

 

“Would you let him fix your computer?” Yuuri asked. Knowing that Phichit was the definition of the person who would almost rather buy a replacement than entrust their electronics to someone to get them fixed.

 

“Actually, he already has. My laptop crashed about a month and a half ago, right before midterms, and he was able to get it back up and running, and also restored all of my data. He’s like a computer whisperer.”

 

“Huh.”

 

“So, should I give you his number?”

 

“Sure. I guess it couldn’t hurt to give it a try, could it?”

 

“Awesome! Texting it to you now… Aaaaaand, sent. Definitely call him. His name is Victor, btw. And he’s not only a computer whisperer, but he’s totally hot, his personality and accent are amazing, and he’s even single. I’m also pretty sure that you’re totally--” The doorbell rang, cutting Phichit off. “Well, that’s our food.” He hopped off of the bed, pausing at the door. “Seriously. Talk to him.”

 

As the door shut behind Phichit, Yuuri wondered what he had been trying to tell him before the doorbell rang.  _ I’m totally… What? _ Honestly, he wasn’t sure that he wanted to know. He had a hunch that he was trying to set Yuuri up with this guy. Phichit tended to get overly excited about things, and Yuuri could never keep up. Especially when it came to trying to set Yuuri up with someone. Which he had been trying to do for months. 

 

He unlocked his phone, and hesitated just long enough to check to make sure it wasn’t too late, and to take a deep breath, before typing a message to the number that Phichit had given him. 

 

To: (***) ***-***

(November 13 at 21:17)                  

Hi, is this Victor? I heard from a friend that you’re a student

at our university, and that you’re good with computers. I have

one that I need fixed and was wondering if you could help?

(Unread)

 

He pressed send, then started to panic. What if Phichit was just messing with him?  _ No, he wouldn’t do that.  _ Well, he would, but not when it was important.  _ What if I texted the wrong number?  _ Yuuri pulled up Phichit’s message and double-checked the number.  _ But what if Phichit has the wrong number? What if he’s not doing this anymore and I’m just annoying him? What if… _

 

Yuuri’s phone chimed, breaking him out of his soon-to-be spiraling panic, and he pulled up the message.

 

To: (***) ***-***

(November 13 at 21:23)

Hi! Yes, this is Victor. It’s true that I am still a student,

but I’m in my senior year and also work in IT. I’m 

always fixing computers outside of work as well.

What kind of problem are you experiencing?

(Read 21:23)

 

To: (***) ***-***

(November 13 at 21:24)

I shut my laptop harder than I meant to, and the screen

cracked. It’s a touch-screen, so it’s freaking out…

(Read 21:26)

 

Yuuri breathed a sigh of relief at the confirmation that he did indeed have the right number, and added Victor to his contacts while he waited for a reply, adding a descriptor by the name to remember how he knew him.

 

From: Victor (Computer Guy)

(November 13 at 21:27)

I see. Do you know what model it is? If you don’t, I can 

just take a look for you if you want to do a consultation.

(Read 21:28)

 

To: Victor (Computer Guy)

(November 13 at 21:28)

A consultation would be fantastic! I need 

to get this fixed as soon as possible.

(Read 21:29)

 

From: Victor (Computer Guy)

(November 13 at 21:30)

That makes perfect sense. I have some free time

tomorrow around 1:30 pm, if you’re free then. Otherwise,

I’m free after 7 pm most days.

(Read 21:30)

 

To: Victor (Computer Guy)

(November 13 at 21:31)

I’m not really free until after 6 most days. If

you’re okay with evenings, I can do that.

Would 7:30 tomorrow night work for you?

(Read 21:32)

 

From: Victor (Computer Guy)

(November 13 at 21:33)

That works just fine. Where would you like to meet? I

can make a house call if that works best for you. If you’d

rather not give me your address though, we can meet at

school, or even in a coffee shop or somewhere less

personal…

(Read 21:34)

 

Yuuri paused to think it over. It was normal for technicians to make house calls, so it wouldn’t be terrible to have Victor come over and fix his computer in his and Phichit’s apartment, but, on the other hand, Victor is still another student, and Yuuri really didn’t want a lot of people on campus to know where he was living.

 

To: Victor (Computer Guy)

(November 13 at 21:35)

There’s a coffee shop near the university called Aroma. 

Do you know where that is?

(Read 21:35)

 

From: Victor (Computer Guy)

(November 13 at 21:35)

I love going there! We can definitely meet there if you 

want. I will need to know your name though so that I can

find you.

(Read 21:36)

 

To: Victor (Computer Guy)

(November 13 at 21:37)

I’m so sorry! I should have given that when I first texted!

I can’t believe that I forgot! My name is Yuuri.

(Read 21:38)

 

From: Victor (Computer Guy)

(November 13 at 21:39)

Awesome! Well, Yuuri, I’ll meet you at Aroma at 7:30 pm 

tomorrow night. I’ll text you when I get there and we’ll

talk then. Please don’t forget to bring your laptop with

you so I can assess the damage. Have a wonderful

night and I’ll see you tomorrow evening!

(Read 21:41)

 

To: Victor (Computer Guy)

(November 13 at 21:41)

Thank you so much for doing this! I’ll definitely bring

my laptop with me. You have a good night as well.

(Read 21:42)

 

Yuuri waited to see if Victor would reply, and when none came, he shut his phone off and wandered out to the kitchen, wondering what Phichit got them for dinner. They had an unspoken agreement that if one of them ordered out when they were both home, that they would get enough for the both of them. He found Phichit in the living room, eating pizza while watching another one of the King and the Skater movies.

 

“So, did you get ahold of him?” Phichit paused the movie. “Because I really think that he’s the one you’ll want to work on your computer.”

 

“Yeah, I’m meeting him tomorrow night to see what we’ll need to do to fix it.” Yuuri was nervous about meeting new people, but was hoping that he would at least be able to talk normally to this relative stranger. “I hope it will go well and he’ll be able to fix it.”

 

“Awesome! I really think that you’ll like him.” Phichit said, with an emphasis on the word ‘like’. Then, before Yuuri could reply, he abruptly changed the subject. “So I got us pizza. It’s barbecue chicken stuffed crust!”

 

Yuuri smirked, then grabbed a slice. “You and your barbecue sauce… I’m just glad that I really like it too, otherwise, I’d be sick of it with how much of it we end up eating.”

 

Phichit unpaused the movie, and they ate in relative silence, only breaking it when Phichit sang along or quoted part of the movie. Sometime before the end of the movie, Yuuri fell asleep, leaning on Phichit, and when the movie ended, Phichit guided Yuuri back to his room and tucked him into bed, glad that Yuuri wasn’t freaking out about having to meet someone new.

 

As he went back to his room, Phichit texted Chris a simple ‘It’s finally happening tomorrow!’, then crossed his fingers, hoping that Yuuri and Victor would hit it off, as he was convinced that they were made for each other.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Yuuri woke up late to a too-bright sky and realized that he only had 15 minutes before his shift at the library started. He frantically called his manager, informing Minako that he would be late, only slightly comforted by her understanding tone. He threw on the first clothes that he could find, as most of his laundry was waiting to be washed, silently thanking any deity that was listening that the library’s dress code was business casual.

 

He rushed out the door and into his car, getting soaked by the rain on his way to the parking lot, only to realize that it needed a jump. 20 minutes later, Yuuri was able to find someone to jump his car, and drove to work. Yuuko smiled when he came in, and he vowed that he would work twice as hard today to make up for the hour and a half he had missed.

 

When it was time for his lunch break, Yuuri realized that he had forgotten not only his wallet, meaning that he wasn’t able to buy anything to eat for lunch, but that also his computer, meaning that he would be late to his meeting with Victor as well. Yuuri sighed. Could this day possibly get any worse?

 

Of course, Yuuri’s life was practically an example of Murphy’s Law, and 20 minutes before the end of his shift, the rain had come down hard enough that part of the ceiling in the library’s children’s section sprang a leak. Yuuri spent the next 45 minutes with Minako and Yuuko moving books away from the area affected by the leak and helping to soak up the water from the carpets.

 

When he got out to his car, he sighed in relief when it started up without any difficulties. That relief was short-lived as he was caught in traffic when an accident had constricted the flow of the vehicles, and it took him twice as long as normal to get home. After looking at his car’s clock, he took out his phone to send a text to Victor and realized that he had forgotten to charge it the previous night and it had died sometime during the day.

 

He pulled up to the apartment and was able to find a good parking spot, which was nice, but at this point, Yuuri felt like crawling into bed and not leaving his apartment ever again. However, he knew that he needed to suck it up and meet Victor like he said he would, then he could mope for the rest of the night after that.

 

Luckily, he was able to get in and out of the apartment and to Aroma with no further trouble. It took him a while to find parking, needing to circle the block a couple times, then the next block over, before he was able to take a spot that another car had just vacated. He grabbed his computer and booked it to the coffee shop, and, as he got to the door, ran right smack into another person who was trying to enter the shop from the other direction.

 

Yuuri was about to throw out a scathing warning when he saw the other person. He looked like a model, with ocean-colored eyes and long, silver hair falling out of a messy bun and framing his face beautifully. Mesmerized, it took Yuuri a moment to realize that the man had not only already picked himself up off of the ground, but had also dusted himself off and picked up his umbrella before he finally turned to Yuuri.

 

“Sorry for running into you like that,” the man said, stretching his hand out toward Yuuri. “I hope I didn’t hurt you...” He trailed off.

 

Yuuri blushed and grabbed the man’s outstretched hand and felt himself lifted from the rain-soaked sidewalk. 

 

“I- I’m so sorry!” Yuuri stuttered. “I’m pretty sure it was me who wasn’t looking where he was going.”

 

After Yuuri was finally upright, he took in the stranger who had helped him up. He looked like he’d stepped off of a movie set, hair perfectly disheveled, with an umbrella and trench coat protecting him from the rain. Then, he met his gaze and realized that the other man was staring. He also hadn’t let go of Yuuri’s hand. After a minute, the man seemed to realize that he was the cause of Yuuri’s uncomfortable shuffling, and quickly released his hand. They both reached for the door, but the stranger got there first and held it open for Yuuri, who quickly ducked inside.

 

“Thanks.” Yuuri mumbled, face ablaze.

 

“It’s no problem at all. I don’t run into guys as cute as you often.”  The man winked, seeming to have already recovered from earlier.

 

Yuuri stared at him, unsure of whether or not he was hallucinating. Surely this model-like man hadn’t called him cute. Yuuri glanced down, certain that he looked half-drowned and frumpy from the rain. He shook his head to clear it, deciding to ignore the most-likely-hallucinated compliment.

 

“Um… Thank you again for helping me up.” Yuuri bowed his head a bit, then turned and walked around to find a table. He had managed to keep ahold of his computer when he fell, but wanted to pull it out of his case and check to make sure it hadn’t sustained any further damage.

 

“Wait!” He heard the man shout from behind him, but he refused to embarrass himself further and continued to search for a table, leaving the stranger behind, shivering from his damp clothes.

 

After sitting down and confirming that the computer was still only as broken as it was last night, Yuuri realized that he hadn’t charged his phone and he had no idea what Victor looked like or how he was even supposed to find him. Yuuri pushed his laptop a bit further from himself, and let his head fall to the table with a loud thump.

 

A couple seconds later, he heard someone talking to him. “That sounded like it hurt…”

 

He looked back up and saw the man from outside.

 

“I’m waiting to meet someone, but they haven’t texted me yet, so can I sit here until they arrive?” The man asked.

 

Yuuri closed his laptop, gently so it wouldn’t break further, then gestured to the seat across from him.

 

“I’m Victor by the way.” The man held his hand out to shake.

 

Yuuri gaped. “Do you fix computers?”

 

Victor’s brow furrowed a bit and he withdrew his hand slightly. “I do, but how did you know that?”

 

“Oh! I’m so sorry! My name is Yuuri. I’m supposed to meet a Victor who fixes computers?”

 

Victor laughed. “That sounded more like a question than a statement. Well, Yuuri, it’s nice to meet you.”

 

Yuuri nodded and finally reached out to shake Victor’s hand. “Y-you too. I’m sorry I didn’t text you to let you know that I would be late. My phone died and then I crashed into you, but I didn’t know it was you, then I thought that my computer might have broken more, then you introduced yourself and…” Yuuri cut himself off, realizing that he was rambling.

 

Victor chuckled, seemingly amused by Yuuri’s response. “So, is this the broken computer?” Victor gestured to the laptop sitting in between them.

 

“Y-yes, it is.” Yuuri stammered, teeth chattering a bit.

 

“Perfect! Okay, Yuuri, how about we get some hot drinks to warm us up, then I’ll take a look.” Victor shot Yuuri a smile. “You look about as cold as I feel right now.”

 

“O-okay.” Yuuri started to stand, but Victor put a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Let me get them. Someone could steal our table if we both get up.”

 

Yuuri nodded.

 

“Do you know what you want?” Victor asked.

 

“I usually get the hot chocolate. They make it really good here.”

 

Victor tilted his head. “Sounds good! I’ll be right back.” He made his way to the general direction of the line, into the mass of people crowding the store.

 

Yuuri sat staring at the point where Victor had disappeared for another moment, then sighed. What were the odds of physically running into the very person that you were supposed to be meeting for the first time who happened to be running late by the same amount of time that you were? Astronomical, right?

 

Victor sat down, startling Yuuri out of his contemplations. “Sorry that took so long. There are, like, 8 million people in line right now.” Victor held one of the drinks out to Yuuri, their fingers brushing as Yuuri took the cup.

 

The warmth from the cup seeped into his cold hands, and after a couple sips, Yuuri could feel himself warming up again. He breathed a content sigh, before he remembered that Victor was sitting across from him. He looked back up and realized that Victor had been watching him again. Realizing that he had been caught, Victor startled a bit and took a drink from his cup, wincing as he burned himself.

 

Yuuri was trying not to laugh. Somehow he had caused Victor to feel a little flustered, which was, well, flattering to be honest...

 

“Right.” Victor said, after he recovered. “Let’s take a look.” He opened the computer and switched it on, focusing on the task at hand.

 

After a few minutes of Victor tapping the screen, the keys, and trying to use the touchpad, Victor finally switched the computer off again. He pulled out a notebook and scribbled down a couple of things. Then he examined the hardware, checking for the model and for any other obvious damage. Finally, he set the computer down again. After making a couple more notes, Victor put the notebook away and met Yuuri’s eyes.

 

“Okay, so the screen definitely needs to be replaced, but you already knew that.” Victor stated.

 

Yuuri nodded.

 

“Were there any other problems that the computer has? Anything else that is concerning?”

 

“Well, the disc drive is broken. It broke a couple months ago.”

 

“I can definitely work on that as well. How is it running? Any issues with the software or any viruses that I should know about? I wasn’t able to do much probing with the screen acting up.”

 

“No viruses. At least, not according to my antivirus…”

 

“Awesome! Alright, I can definitely get this working for you. It might take a couple weeks to get the parts in, since this computer is a couple years old, but the repair itself will only take an hour or two.” Victor smiled. “Did you want to take your computer back with you until I can get the parts in? Or would you like me to take it back with me? It’s up to you, as I want to do whatever you’re most comfortable with.”

 

Yuuri thought about it for a moment. He didn’t like the idea of not being able to have access to his computer, but at the same time, if he had it with him but was unable to use it, that might be worse. “I think it would be best if you took it with you. That way I don’t get frustrated that I have it but can’t use it.”

 

“Perfect! Let’s get it back in its bag then. Is there anything else that needed to be fixed or that you were worried about with this?”

 

Yuuri shook his head.

 

“Alright, then I think we’re set on the computer.” Victor finished zipping up the case. “Now then, Yuuri. Will you let me take you to dinner?”

 

Yuuri stiffened. He wasn’t expecting that at all. “You want to take me to dinner?”

 

Victor nodded.

 

“But why?” Yuuri was still trying to process the invitation.

 

“Well, I wasn’t lying earlier when I said that I thought you were cute. And I’d like to get to know you a bit more.” Victor smiled, eyes warm and inviting.

 

Yuuri stared, unable to come up with anything to say.

 

Victor’s smile dimmed a bit. “If you’d rather not, that’s okay. I know it’s not very professional to ask out a client…” He trailed off.

 

Seeing Victor’s obvious disappointment finally shook Yuuri out of his stupor. “No, that’s fine.” Yuuri said, smiling shyly. “I’d like that.”

 

Victor’s smile returned in full force, and he grabbed Yuuri’s hand excitedly. “Great! I know this awesome place that’s just a couple blocks away. It’s just a diner, but they have amazing pancakes!”

 

At the mention of food, Yuuri’s stomach rumbled loudly, causing him to blush and Victor to laugh. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

 

They stood from the table, throwing away their empty cups, and finally exited the noisy coffee shop. The rain had stopped, which was a relief to the both of them, since they needed to walk a little bit.

 

The diner was, coincidentally, right across the street from where Yuuri had managed to park, and as soon as they stepped inside, Yuuri fell in love with the ambiance. It was cozy and had an old-school vibe, but was very obviously well maintained and clean. Immediately, Yuuri was hit with the aroma of bacon and his stomach growled again.

 

They were seated quickly, and, after browsing the menu, they both ended up ordering breakfast food.

 

“I don’t know what it is about diners,” Victor said, “but they always make me want breakfast. Even if it’s midnight.”

 

Yuuri smiled. “Same here. I’ve only been to a couple different ones, but there’s definitely a breakfast vibe that they seem to share.”

 

They were both silent for a moment, then Victor spoke again. “So, tell me about yourself, Yuuri. You said you were a student, what are you studying?”

 

“I’m studying creative writing. My dream is to be a published author someday.” Yuuri braced himself for the laughter that usually accompanied his declaration, but it never came.

 

“Really? That’s so cool that you have a dream like that! What kind of writing do you do? Have you published anything yet?”

 

It took a moment for Yuuri to remember how to talk before he replied. “I’m really interested in poetry. It’s the medium that I seem to be the best at expressing myself with.” Again, he was expecting for Victor to laugh at him. Not many poets are known to be successful.

 

Victor didn’t laugh. Instead, he looked even more intrigued than before. “So you’re a budding poet then?” His eyes sparkled. “Have you written anything that has been published yet? Or do you have something that I could read? Oh!” Victor put a hand over his mouth. “Sorry, only if you wouldn’t mind someone else reading it. I know that some poetry is very private. I actually dabble in poetry myself.”

 

Yuuri took a moment to take in Victor’s words. This was the first time that someone had taken a genuine interest when Yuuri explained about his dream and choice of major. _Not only that, but he’s actually trying to meet me where I am._ Yuuri thought.

 

“Well, I don’t have anything on me right now, but if you’re really interested, I could bring something another time.” Yuuri said. “What about you? What type of poetry do you write? Do you have anything I could read?”

 

“To tell you the truth, I haven’t written anything good recently.” Victor frowned, “I’ve sort-of hit a creative rut. For a poet, lack of inspiration is basically the same as being dead… I think that’s why I switched from an English major to computer science and engineering. I’m good at those, and they don’t really require any abstract thinking. I keep thinking that maybe poetry writing isn’t for me. Even as a hobby...”

 

“Victor-” Yuuri was cut off by the waitress returning with their food.

 

“Here’s your food, you guys.” She smiled as she set down their plates. “Is there anything else you guys need right now?”

 

They glanced at each other, then shook their heads.

 

“Alrighty, then I’ll be around if you need me.” She left them to their food.

 

Yuuri dug in immediately, having missed lunch, he was practically starving. Victor followed his lead a moment later.

 

Yuuri was sort-of glad that the waitress had returned when she had, because he wasn’t sure how to respond to Victor. How do you reassure someone that you don’t know well?

 

Conversation eventually sparked again between them, and they found themselves enjoying a light banter as they finished their food. Just as they were starting in on a new topic, Victor’s phone chimed. He pulled it out of his bag and read the text.

 

“It seems as though my housemate is having a shampoo crisis. He needs me to pick some up for him asap.” Victor rolled his eyes and put his phone away. “Let’s call it a night for now, but you can always text me if you want to. Whether it’s about the computer, or something else.” Victor winked again.

 

Yuuri felt himself blush, “Sure! That sounds good.”

 

They paid their checks, then, after a slightly-awkward hug, parted at the diner’s door.

 

As Yuuri drove home, he thought back on the day and decided that it hadn’t been so bad after all. He did get to meet Victor, who not only will be able to fix his computer, but turned out to be a really cool person. One that he hoped he would be able to get to know better in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Hopefully this story will keep flowing as easily as it has.  
> I don't have a beta, so if there's a mistake or if something's awkwardly worded, please let me know and I'll try to fix it.


	3. Chapter 3

Phichit was hanging out in the living room on his tablet and phone when Yuuri walked in the door. Yuuri watched for a couple minutes as something on the screen of each device seemed to be demanding Phichit’s immediate attention. He was scrolling through something on his tablet and texting someone, grinning the whole time. As soon as he noticed Yuuri standing in the doorway, he startled and immediately turned off the phone and tablet off, going so far as to hide the tablet under a stack of papers. Yuuri laughed, as, in that moment, Phichit reminded him of a kid caught looking at porn. Yuuri was about to tease him about it, but Phichit spoke up before he could.

 

“Hey, Yuuri! How was it?”

 

“...It was fine. What were you looking at on your tablet?”

 

“Nothing! But enough about that, how long will it take him to fix your computer?”

 

Yuuri gave Phichit an ‘I don’t believe you for a minute’ look. When Phichit didn’t break or volunteer any other information, he sighed. He eventually decided against pressing the issue. As much as Phichit loved to gossip and share, he could be an impenetrable fortress if a secret demanded it. This seemed to be one of those times.

 

“He said that it might take a couple weeks since he needs to get the parts in, but it won’t take long to fix the computer after that.”

 

“Great! I know you were super stressed about it, so I’m glad it won’t take too long.” Phichit smiled, like he was up to something, then got up and went into the kitchen. “What do you want to eat for dinner? I’m starving.”

 

“Actually, I ate after my meeting.” Yuuri said.

 

Phichit poked his head out of the kitchen. “Really? What did you have?”

 

“Breakfast.” Yuuri decided to keep his answer simple, knowing that if Phichit found out that he’d eaten with Victor, he would demand more details.

 

“Breakfast sounds so good right now, I’m totally jealous…” Phichit closed his eyes, and Yuuri could practically see Phichit’s mouth watering. “Wait. Where did you get breakfast food at, like, 8 at night?”

 

Yuuri told Phichit about the diner that he had gone to. About the ambiance and food, but leaving out the part where he went there with Victor. He still wanted to keep that to himself for now. “We should go together sometime,” Yuuri said. “I’m pretty sure you’ll love it.”

 

Phichit narrowed his eyes. “Yuuri, no offense, but it’s a little out of character for you to go to new places on a whim.” He stepped closer, eyes twinkling with mischief. “And you never eat dinner without me unless you’re eating with someone else. What kind of juicy gossip are you hiding I wonder…” He smiled, pressuring Yuuri for information.

 

Yuuri sweated for a moment, trying to figure out how to throw Phichit off of the scent, when they both smelled something burning from the kitchen.

 

“Not my food!” Phichit shrieked, breaking eye contact with Yuuri and running back to the kitchen.

 

Yuuri took the chance to escape, bolting for the safety of his bedroom. He finally shed his outerwear and picked up his pajamas before going to his ensuite bathroom to shower.  He let the hot water run over him for the better part of ten minutes before he even started to wash, his mind going back to the dinner that he’d shared with Victor. He remembered Victor briefly mentioning that he wrote poetry, and Yuuri’s heart skipped a beat in a way that it hadn’t for a while.

 

_It really is funny how poetry makes a sap out of me._ Yuuri thought back to when he had tried to compose a confession poem for Yuuko to ask her to go out with him. It was one of the most mushy, embarrassing things that Yuuri had written. Yuuri still had the original poem tucked away in a drawer back home in his childhood bedroom. That is assuming that Mari didn’t poke around or try to rearrange things while he was gone. _I’m sure I will know if she ever finds it,_ he mused. There was no way that she would ever let Yuuri live it down if she found it.

 

Yuuri wondered what Victor’s writing sounded like. _If he’s really even a poet,_ Yuuri’s anxiety pushed into his brain. He’d had experiences with people who were not who they said that they were, and he paused. It’s possible that Victor only said that because he was trying to impress Yuuri. _But why, though?_ Yuuri questioned. What could Victor possibly gain by trying to impress Yuuri?

 

Suddenly, there was knocking on Yuuri’s bathroom door, which jarred him out of his musings and he cursed himself for not locking his bedroom door. 

 

“Yuuri~” Phichit sing-songed. “You can’t hide in the shower forever!”

 

Yuuri called out to Phichit and let him know he’d be out in a minute, then shut off the water, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to escape Phichit grilling him for details. He dried off and dressed as slowly as he could to try to postpone the inevitable.

 

Phichit was sitting on Yuuri’s bed with a mischievous grin when he finally came out of the bathroom. “So, Yuuri, you wanna tell me about your night?”

 

Yuuri groaned and face-planted on the bed next to Phichit before mumbling something incoherent. They sat there in silence for a moment, then Yuuri heard Phichit start tapping away on his phone. He looked up just in time to see Phichit looking like he was trying not to laugh.

 

“What’s so funny? Another hamster video? Let me see.” Yuuri sat up to try to see Phichit’s screen, but, like earlier, Phichit shut it off and hid it faster than Yuuri could blink. “...Or not. That’s fine too.”

 

“It wasn’t about hamsters, don’t worry about it. How was your day?” Phichit asked.

 

Feeling grateful for the slight change in topic, Yuuri recounted his late wakeup and work trouble. He was just getting to the part about running late for his meeting with Victor when he heard Phichit’s phone ping three times in quick succession. “Are you texting someone?”

 

Phichit looked at the screen, then shut it off before turning back to Yuuri. “Kinda sorta. Not really though. Go on…” He looked like Yuuri was about to read off the winning lottery numbers and Yuuri realized that Phichit wouldn’t let him rest until he knew everything.

 

“Well, I was running late and couldn’t contact Victor because I’d somehow forgotten to charge my phone last night and it died, so I wasn’t paying attention and literally ran into Victor. Though I didn’t know it was him at the time.”

 

“He’s pretty well known around campus, either for his looks or his tech wizardry, so it’s a little sad that you didn’t already know what he looked like.” Phichit paused. “Then again, I had to tell you about him, and the university is pretty big, so I guess I’m not that surprised. You don’t really know a lot of people outside your small circles...”

 

Yuuri rolled his eyes. Phichit knew that he didn’t pay much attention to anyone who wasn’t an avid reader or a member of their university’s GSA. As president, Phichit dragged Yuuri to two meetings before Yuuri developed his own interest and started going voluntarily. Yuuri loved the feeling of belonging that he got from those meetings. It was something that he hadn’t had back in his hometown. He hadn’t even really understood his orientation back then, but there was always something missing. Some part of him that knew he was a little different, and these meetings had helped Yuuri not only discover what that missing something was, but also to embrace it and be proud of who he was.

 

“-ri. Earth to Yuuri… Anyone home?” Phichit knocked on Yuuri’s head to get his attention, and he blinked.

 

“Sorry, I got distracted. What did you say?”

 

Phichit gave him a once-over. “Are you too tired?” Phichit fell over onto Yuuri in an overly-theatrical way, causing Yuuri to laugh before shoving him off so that he could breathe.

 

Yuuri knew that this was Phichit’s not too subtle way of saying ‘pay attention to meeeeeeeee!!!!!’

 

“I was just thinking about the GSA.” Yuuri said, quietly.

 

“Really? Good! That means that I’m doing an amazing job of making everything fabulous for the club! But seriously though, what’s the rest of today’s recap? I wanna knooooow!”

 

Yuuri smirked a little at Phichit’s theatrics before continuing with his story. “All that really happened after that was that I was super awkward when introducing myself to Victor, he looked at my computer, then we went to dinner. Nothing else really happened, I’m not sure what else you’re looking for.” Yuuri tried to gloss over him going to dinner with Victor, but Phichit missed nothing.

 

“Holy crap! You went to dinner with Victor? How was he? Was he nice to you? What happened?”

 

Yuuri stared for a moment, suspicion sneaking in, before answering. “He was really nice. I told you that I literally ran into him, right? He picked himself up, then offered to help me up even though I was the one that knocked him over.”

 

“Nice! And? What about dinner?”

 

“Well, for some reason, he was super easy for me to talk to, once I got my awkward introduction out of the way. Apparently, he also does a little poetry writing as well, so major brownie points there.”

 

“That’s awesome! So what do you think about him?”

 

Yuuri narrowed his eyes. “Why do you wanna know so much about what I think?”

 

“Yuuri! As your best friend, I need to make sure that everyone around you is amazing. I need to make sure he’s worthy of your attention!”

 

Yuuri raised his eyebrow, but continued anyway, deciding to throw caution to the wind and dish. “Well, he is probably the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen, and he’s really kind and, like I said, he’s really easy to talk to. And he met me halfway earlier with the poetry thing. I usually get laughed at when people hear that I like to write, especially poetry, so it’s nice to know that there are people like Victor who take me seriously.”

 

“Well, you are talented and deserve to be taken seriously, so I can understand where he was coming from.” Phichit said, matter-of-factly.

 

Yuuri continued. “You might be one of the only people who think that way though. It’s possible that he isn’t really into poetry and was trying to impress me for some reason, but really, what would he gain by doing that?”

 

Phichit stared at Yuuri for what seemed like forever before facepalming. “Yuuri! How many times do I have to tell you how fabulous you are? You’re super adorable on a daily basis, and when you dress up, you’re the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. Seriously, Yuuri, on looks alone, if you were my type, I’d totally date you. But you’re my best friend, so that would be weird… I digress.”

 

Yuuri opened his mouth to disagree, but Phichit silenced him with a glare. “But it’s not just looks either. You’re beautiful inside and out. You’re an insanely good dancer, who probably knows every style of dance ever invented, your writing sucks in even non-readers and entrances them, your competitive edge and drive are out of this world, and even though I know you just accidentally broke your computer, for the most part, you take care of anything and anyone close to you.”

 

Yuuri tried to interject, but Phichit was talking too fast for him to get a word in edgewise.

 

“You’re one of the kindest, most selfless people I’ve ever seen. You’re always going out of your way to help the people who matter to you, and even though you don’t socialize much, you’re kind to complete strangers too.It really is about time for you to realize how amazing you are. I won’t tolerate anyone making fun of or talking bad about my best friend. He’s too good for that nonsense.”

 

Yuuri’s face was tomato red and buried in one of his many pillows when Phichit’s rant finally cut off. It took a couple minutes of coaxing for Phichit to get Yuuri to look at him, but when he did, he gave him a hug and said softly, “He would have everything to gain by impressing you. It’s not easy to do, after all.”

 

After a few minutes, Yuuri couldn’t hold back his yawns any longer and Phichit finally let go of Yuuri. He carefully crawled off the bed. “I think that’s enough talking for one night. I’ll let you sleep. Just remember, don’t mess with my friend, you hear?”

 

Yuuri laughed, then let Phichit tuck him in. “You know that you don’t have to do this, right?” Yuuri said. “I’m a big boy and can tuck myself in.”

 

“Oh, hush. Let me mother you a bit. I’m still in the groove, after all.” Phichit winked at Yuuri, then flicked off the light before letting himself out of Yuuri’s room.

  
As he was thinking about what Phichit had said, he realized that Phichit was probably the first person outside of his family to truly believe in him. Phichit had said that Yuuri’s writing was good, even to those who don’t like reading. He was definitely someone who would know, as Phichit hated reading anything that wasn’t on social media, preferring to move around and go out and do things, but he always demanded to read anything that Yuuri wrote, and would give the most amazing feedback that Yuuri had ever heard. Maybe he was onto something. Maybe Yuuri needed to believe in himself a little more. Writing had defined him for so long that it had shaped him and the way he felt and processed many of his emotions. Including love.

 

Yuuri chuckled a bit as he thought about writing and its effect on his love life. From his family and Yuuko to Victor. _Not that I’m in love with Victor,_ he thought, _I don’t know him nearly well enough for that._ Victor’s perfect heart-shaped smile popped back into his mind. _Still though, a_ _boy can hope..._

**Author's Note:**

> This started from me having actual writer's block, and was supposed to be maybe a page, and somehow turned into 7 pages. Writer's block is apparently super unpredictable...


End file.
